The rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is fait accompli in the eyes of many fans and pundits, and Mark Munoz knows it.

But if he has anything to say about it, Brazil’s public enemy No. 1 will never get the opportunity to travel south of the equator to fight Silva on his home turf, where a mid-2012 event is possible for his return.

Munoz (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Sonnen (27-11-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) square off for the right to face Silva on Jan. 28 at Chicago’s United Center as part of the three-fight, FOX-televised main card of UFC on FOX 2. A light-heavyweight tilt between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, and middleweights Michael Bisping and Demian Maia round out the Jan. 28 broadcast.

“They don’t need to have security around him (Sonnen) because he ain’t going to Brazil,” Munoz told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I kind of feel disrespected a little bit, but you know what? It is what it is, and it ain’t going to happen.”

Since joining the middleweight division, Munoz has won seven of eight fights, which included wins in each of his past four bouts. He’s earned his way to a No. 1 contender match, so he’s understandably frustrated with being labeled (in so many words) as a glorified stepping stone.

“People are going to say what they say,” Munoz said. “I can’t control their opinions, but I can control the attitude that I have within me. I’m just going to go out there and do what I do and fight Anderson in Rio (de Janeiro).”

Munoz and Sonnen are no strangers to the big stage. Both have headlined events before. Neither man, however, has competed on the kind of platform FOX offers. It’s uncharted territory for anyone not named Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.

“I think it’s going to be a different vibe because I know there’s going to be many more people watching,” Munoz said. “But at the same time, it is the same. I’m going to go in there, and I’m going to do what I’ve trained for. And I can’t look at it more than that because if I do, I (will) put too much pressure on myself.”

“Network-television jitters” could become the new “octagon jitters.”

Munoz has seen plenty of fighters walk into the cage for the first time in a much more muted atmosphere and still looking like a deer in headlights. He knows what that looks like.

“Guys freeze inside the octagon,” Munoz said. “I don’t ever want to do that. I’m just going to see Chael across the cage, and we’re going to put on a good show.”

Munoz believes his time logged in the cage to date, coupled with his experience wrestling for Oklahoma State University, have prepared him well for the brightest of bright spotlights.

“I feel like when I was in college every practice was geared toward a national championship,” Munoz said. “At Oklahoma State, if you weren’t a national champion, you weren’t anything. It was a lot of pressure that was on me, and I had to deal with that.”

During one “memorable” meet, Munoz said he had a run-in with a brash and talented University of Oregon wrestler, who during their match went for an illegal jiu-jitsu-style kneebar.

Munoz fought through it and had the last laugh by earning the victory.

The cheap shot’s author?

You guessed it. None other than Chael P. Sonnen.

Despite the fact the incident was many years ago, Munoz still believes it’s relevant today from a mental standpoint.

“It does give me an advantage there because, in wrestling, it’s whoever can break whoever’s will,” Munoz said. “And I actually tried to do that because he tried to break my leg. In return, I tried to break his will. So he knows what I’m capable of, and I know MMA is different, but still. We’re going at it.”

Somehow, someway the two found a way to cross paths again.

This time around, Sonnen can attempt as many kneebars as he pleases as they’ll have a much wider array of weapons at their disposal to use.

“There’s a lot of different ways to be able to win the fight,” Munoz said. “I know he’s developed his MMA game, and I have too, so you’re definitely going to see a fight that has to be watched because we’re going to be slinging stuff all around like kicks, elbows, knees and everything.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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